There are very few well made female characters in games. Most male characters are boring cliches too, but this applies to female characters, moreso, IMO. Compared to most female characters in games, Alyx is a great character, but on an overall level, she's a good character but not much more than that.
I definitely like how Alyx was not sexualized as many female characters are, with nudity or exagerrated breasts, and the like. She's noticeably feminine, but she's not stereotypically feminine, and she's mostly a human being rather than just a woman. Of course, the gaming industry has set the bar so low, we often feel like it deserves an accolate whenever they make a woman who is just a human being rather than a sex object. This is what you're supposed to do; you don't get an award for doing what you're supposed to do.
Alyx is in many ways a nerd fantasy girl. You could compare it to the girls in Dead or Alive who are only there to sexually arouse you, but take out the sex part and replace it with a more innocent-girlfriend type of companionship. It's a less primal and more noble type of arousal but Alyx was still made to arouse the player. She easily throws herself upon the player, solely to make the player feel good about himself or loved.
Missing are any complex dillemmas or moral issues or practically anything that troubles her as a character, because she's perfect, and she's yours. Doctor Breen, Judith Mossman, G-Man and even Kleiner and Eli have complexities or character flaws to them, which Alyx doesn't despite probably having the most screen time.
Still, overall. Good character, well above the average female character, but not a gold standard.
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